Common Reasons Daily Routines Break Down in Retirement

Even if you intend to keep some structure in your days, it's common for routines to break down in retirement. Understanding why they do can help you find ways to build some structure that best supports this new season of life.

Lack of Structure Formerly Provided by a Career

For many people, the structure of each day and the week overall is dictated by a career. When it's time to step away from a long-term career, some people flounder a bit because they aren't used to filling a large chunk of their day outside of work.

Potential Changes in Health or Energy

Changes related to aging, including the fact that you might not be able to do as much in a day as you once did, can impact daily habits, as can chronic illnesses and other health issues. An injury or major illness may be harder to bounce back from when you're older. Some older adults may lose daily structure during these times and struggle to get it back.

The Impact of Relocation

Downsizing or moving can impact your day-to-day structure, and if you move away from your current community, it can take time to build back to having regular social engagements.

Taking on New Roles or Responsibilities

Some older adults take on new roles in their family or friend group when they retire, such as providing care for young children or helping their senior relatives. While these activities help to keep you mobile and social, they can upend your regular routines.

Increased Flexibility

Simply having the flexibility of retirement and knowing you don't have to be anywhere at a certain time most days can lead to a relaxed approach to life that can create detrimental habits.

The Benefits of Daily Routines During Retirement

Knowing what positive impact you can get from implementing daily routines helps you prioritize them. Some benefits of daily routines during retirement include:

• Improved mental well-being. For many people, consistency cuts down on stress and anxiety while helping create a sense of stability in everyday life.
• Better physical health. A regular routine makes it easy to implement and monitor healthy habits like proper nutrition, getting enough sleep and exercising.
• Increased productivity and time management. By staying focused on priorities, you can better integrate activities, including hobbies, volunteering and running errands, into your weeks.
• More or better quality social connections. Planning ahead and staying true to your schedule makes it more likely you can make regular social connections with people.
• Less decision fatigue. Your routine simplifies day-to-day decision-making, leaving you with more cognitive energy to approach important decisions.
• Self-care consistency. A well-established routine increases your likelihood of engaging in healthy self-care, including taking necessary medications.

Tips for Creating a Daily Routine as an Older Adult

If you're loving retirement but want to be a bit more intentional about each day, here are some tips for creating a more established routine:

• Start small. Pick one habit to make routine, such as taking a short walk after breakfast every day. Once that becomes standard, you can add another habit.
• Be realistic. Consider your physical needs and budget and what you can realistically do each day to create a structure that works for you.
• Set priorities. Make a list of habits you'd like to incorporate and prioritize them. Work on implementing those that are most important to you first.
• Incorporate wellness goals. Increase your enjoyment of retirement by including fun goals in your daily schedule, but don't forget a few wellness goals that positively impact your health.  
• Include social time. Look at the community you're in to figure out how to make new friends or engage in regular social activities. You might stop by your local library to find out if it offers activities for seniors, and if you're one of our residents, you can ask the staff about activities at LifeStream independent living in Sun City, Arizona.
• Use technology tools. Set smartphone alarms to remind you about habits or activities, and consider planner apps to manage your schedule.

Track your progress in a journal. Consider writing down what you did each day and what you'd like to do tomorrow. Reviewing past journal entries can help you understand how far you've come or where you can better stick to desired routines.